AGGREGATION AND BREAKAGE IN POLY-DISPERSE FLUIDIZED BED ETHYLENE POLYMERIZATION REACTORS

A computational fluid dynamic model was coupled with population balance model to simulate particle aggregation and breakage in the gas phase polyethylene fluidized bed reactor. A gas-solid multi phase flow model was developed based on the Eulerian-Eulerian approach. In order to properly account for solid poly-disperse, the population balance equation was solved with along continuity and momentum balance equations. A quadrature method of moment (QMOM) was used to describe the poly-disperse solids by four nodes. The model was used to study particle aggregation and breakage for high density polyethylene (HDPE) in the fluidized bed ethylene polymerization reactor. The results show that the defined model is a very effective method to describe the evolution of particles in the fluidized bed reactor

Keywords:

Computational fluid dynamic , Olefin polymerization , Aggregation